The world’s favorite teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, turns 90 years old today! October 14th is the day when the first book about Pooh was published.
The first book about Winnie-the-Pooh was in the bookstores on 14 October 1926. Over the years it became one of the most popular books worldwide.
It also turned Pooh into a worldwide phenomenon. There are countless of toys and stuffed animals with all of the characters. There are a lot of movies, additional books, games, you name it.
Some people even live by quotes from Winnie-the-Pooh. Others love to collect all things Pooh.
So, what’s the best way to celebrate this huge milestone? It’s rare when a character lives on for so long. And by the way things are going, Pooh isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’s still enjoying a lot of interest from millions of people.
Meet Penguin – Pooh’s old friend
So, the best way to celebrate is with another story. And why not four new stories? That’s exactly what happened. There’s now a new book about Winnie-the-Pooh which features four new stories and one special new character.
This is Penguin who is Pooh long forgotten friend. Now, he wobbles back to the Forest to surprise Pooh. You can learn more about Penguin’s story here.
As noted, Penguin was also part of Christopher’s real life stuffed animals. Many of the animals featured in Winnie-the-Pooh are actually real life toys. Among them are Tigger, Eeyore Kanga, Roo and Winnie-the-Pooh himself, which were bought from the Harrods toy store in London by Daphne Milne, Christopher’s mother, the BBC notes. Some were bought as gifts, whilst the others were, in the words of Milne, “carefully chosen with the idea of not only giving pleasure to the reader, but also fresh inspiration to the chronicler of their adventures.”
Troubles at first
But while Pooh is loved today, his start wasn’t so easy. The publisher actually didn’t like the idea. “We are all well aware the most hopeless kind of manuscript a publisher expects to receive is that of poetry for children”. That’s what Milne’s US publisher said when they received the manuscript.
But the people loved Pooh. They loved him so much, he became an instant classic. So much, that the original stuffed animals are now part of the history.
Then in 1961 Disney bought the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh. He’s bringing in merchandising profits that are said to rival those of Mickey Mouse. His books have been translated into more than 50 languages. And we all can’t wait for more. That’s the power of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. Happy 90th Anniversary!
